The October 20 collaboration will pair Gonzo’s smoke-driven meats with Chi Chi’s Korean and Japanese-inspired cooking in a two-dish special menu.
Chi Chi’s will host a one-night collaboration with Gonzo’s Smokehouse & BBQ in New Orleans on October 20, 2026.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Chi Chi’s and Gonzo’s Smokehouse & BBQ will collaborate for one night on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at 4714 Freret Street in New Orleans.
- The special menu will be served from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and features a smoked beef cheek curry bowl and BBQ lemongrass lamb chops.
- The collaboration brings together Chi Chi’s Korean and Japanese-inspired cooking with Gonzo’s Central Texas-style barbecue approach.
- Gonzo’s founder Jason Gonzalez will join Chef Adolfo Garcia Jr. for the event at Chi Chi’s.
(NEWS) NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, United States, 2026-Oct-02 — /Travel PR News/ — New Orleans diners will get a one-night crossover between Freret Street’s Korean fried chicken scene and Louisiana craft barbecue when Chi Chi’s Chicken and Beer hosts Gonzo’s Smokehouse & BBQ on Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
The collaboration, detailed in an announcement published by New Orleans & Company, will run from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Chi Chi’s, 4714 Freret Street. The limited menu pairs Gonzo’s Central Texas-style smoking techniques with the Korean and Japanese influences that shape Chi Chi’s regular menu.
Chef Adolfo Garcia Jr. will welcome Jason Gonzalez, founder of the Luling-based smokehouse, for the evening. Gonzalez, a Waggaman native, moved into barbecue full time after working for years as a structural designer in the oil and gas industry. Gonzo’s official site describes the business as a Central Texas-inspired craft barbecue operation with a Louisiana identity, built around smoked meats, house-made sausages and boudin.
Smoke, curry and lemongrass share the menu
The special menu is deliberately compact. A smoked beef cheek curry bowl takes its cue from Chi Chi’s chicken katsu curry, using smoked beef cheek as the centerpiece. The second dish, BBQ lemongrass lamb chops, combines charred meat with the bright, aromatic character of lemongrass.
Those dishes move both restaurants slightly beyond their everyday formats. Chi Chi’s centers its regular menu on Korean fried chicken, soy-garlic and gochujang wings, onigirazu, curry and other Japanese-influenced dishes, while Gonzo’s is known for smoked brisket, beef cheeks, sausages and brisket boudin. The October collaboration uses those two approaches as a starting point rather than simply placing the restaurants’ standard menus side by side.
A one-night addition to Freret Street’s dining mix
Chi Chi’s opened on Freret Street in 2024 with a concept inspired by Korean chimaek, the pairing of fried chicken and beer. The restaurant sits within one of Uptown New Orleans’ established dining corridors, where Freret Street now brings together casual restaurants, bars and newer chef-driven concepts within a compact stretch.
Gonzo’s, meanwhile, operates in Luling at 13899 River Road, Suite C. Its official site currently lists a limited weekly schedule centered on Thursday smash burgers and Friday barbecue, making the New Orleans appearance a temporary extension of the smokehouse beyond its regular St. Charles Parish service.
No broader run of the collaboration has been announced. The two-dish menu is scheduled only for October 20 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Chi Chi’s in New Orleans.
